Renz
An Army of One
I'm very excited about this move, if it happens. O'Neill can really re-invigorate the program because of the reasons you mentioned.
Official 2007 Arizona Wildcats OFFSEASON Basketball thread
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I'm very excited about this move, if it happens. O'Neill can really re-invigorate the program because of the reasons you mentioned.
MaoTosiFanClub
The problem
Twice as many wins as losses against one of the the toughest schedule in the country, tied for third in the toughest conference in the country, Top 10 recruiting class. 2006-2007 Arizona as disappointing as it was did just as much if not more than your beloved ASU football program has done in a decade and evry hoops program in the Pac-10 not named Arizona or UCLA would be quite pleased with those results.
Thanks for playing, you guys wouldn't know elite college basketball if it hit you in the face. That's probably why you jock a head coach who has been to as many Sweet 16's and won as many conference titles as the assistant coach we just hired. And I've asked you and Skkorp before and and I'll ask again - please enlighten us on what's wrong with Arizona Basketball since your the experts and all?
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SO91
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If this moves improves our defense I'm all for it, although I'm not the most knowledgable college basketball fan out there.
I've answered you before Mao but I'll do it again since you're such a nice guy.
The problem with UA basketball is Lute. He's getting old and is no longer the great coach he was for many years. Changing his staff, as you predicted, but not the ones you wanted, might help him stave off the inevitable for one more year, but I doubt it.
The problem with UA basketball is Lute. He's getting old and is no longer the great coach he was for many years. Changing his staff, as you predicted, but not the ones you wanted, might help him stave off the inevitable for one more year, but I doubt it.
MaoTosiFanClub
The problem
So is Lute's age the reason Arizona chose...
Dennis Latimore/Isiah Fox over Matt Haryasz
Mustafa Shakur over Gabe Pruitt/Aaron Brooks
Daniel Dillon over Jordan Farmar/Derrick Low
JP Prince over Darren Collison
Fendi Onobun over Lawrence Hill
Not to mention giving out rides to such guys as Kirk Walters, Ndubi Ebi, Jesus Verdejo, and Mohamed Tangara and the guys I just mentioned are merely the current Pac-10 players that Arizona could have had.
None of that had to do with Lute's age, it had to do with a period of his life when he was mourning over his first wife and courting his second and took too much time away from the program and delegated it to people who had little clue what they were doing most notably Rodney Tention, Josh Pastner, and Jim Rosborough. So yes, it like everything else with Arizona Basketball does fall on Lute but I don't see where age has anything to do with it as Lute is currently spending just as many long hours recruiting now as he did in the glory days.
Dennis Latimore/Isiah Fox over Matt Haryasz
Mustafa Shakur over Gabe Pruitt/Aaron Brooks
Daniel Dillon over Jordan Farmar/Derrick Low
JP Prince over Darren Collison
Fendi Onobun over Lawrence Hill
Not to mention giving out rides to such guys as Kirk Walters, Ndubi Ebi, Jesus Verdejo, and Mohamed Tangara and the guys I just mentioned are merely the current Pac-10 players that Arizona could have had.
None of that had to do with Lute's age, it had to do with a period of his life when he was mourning over his first wife and courting his second and took too much time away from the program and delegated it to people who had little clue what they were doing most notably Rodney Tention, Josh Pastner, and Jim Rosborough. So yes, it like everything else with Arizona Basketball does fall on Lute but I don't see where age has anything to do with it as Lute is currently spending just as many long hours recruiting now as he did in the glory days.
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How close to getting Farmar was UA? My recollection is he was leaning towards Florida until Howland got heavily involved and then he had a flirtation with Gonzaga. I knew UA was in the mix all along but I didn't think he was ever that close to being a Cat?
Latimore was the high ranked prospect, UCLA was all over him, I remember Haryasz was a very late bloomer, with a funny last name.
But it does make your point it would appear that UA got fascinated with big name kids who were highly ranked early and often, and overlooked kids in their own backyards who came on later.
Collison was 5'9" 120 pounds as a soph in HS, that's why UA didn't like him. When Kerry Keating went to see him as a junior, he talked to Darren's mom who asked him if he was related to Larry Keating. He said yes, he's my dad, and she said small world he was the AD at Adelphi College when myself and Darren's dad ran track there. That's how UCLA wrapped up Collison.
We all know luck plays a huge role in recruiting, although there's clearly some talent in projecting kids. My guess is Pastner is simply too fixated on AAU and HS rankings and forgets that kids mature at different rates.
MaoTosiFanClub
The problem
Arizona wouldn't offer Farmar a shot at starting as a frosh despite the fact that Farmar was a better player from Day 1 than Shakur ever was. UCLA was in rebuilding mode so they could offer starter's minutes right away and the rest is history. Remember this was 2003 and Arizona was head and shoulders above every West Coast program in pretty much every category.
Fact remains that you can't have three or four consecutive years of mediocre recruiting classes and expect to be anything other than a mediocre team which Arizona is learning. If you want to put that on Lute's age fine, but you'd have a better case blaming it on his libido.
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Yeah I just didn't recall the whole deal. I do remember that UCLA fans were wondering if Farmar would unseat Bozeman at PG but then Bozeman got hurt and missed the year opening up the starting job to Jordan. Afflalo was the backup PG that year.
I agree UA made some mistakes,some just bad luck, some I suspect too much influence from Pastner.
I've had that conversation over the years with many guys, if you put a internet scouting guru in charge of recruiting at a major college would it work or not. I really think to an extent that's what Pastner is, he may some day be a good coach but right now he's mainly there for recruiting and it's totally different evaluating kids for an AAU team where the game is unstructured, vs. doing it for real college games where it is structured.
lavin had the same problem he went running after the top 10 guys every year and never got why his teams had such poor chemistry and under achieved all year only to make the Sweet 16. he had talent on the roster, but no cohesion. Guys would play soft all year, play hard in the tourney for 2 games to enhance draft status, and then get outed by a better team.
Mr. Boldin
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Tention was the problem...
Pastner recruited everyone not on the west coast and it is hard to fault him for bringing in these highly rated guys that never panned out. However, without Pastner there is no Chase, Bayless, Hill, ect...
There is a reason why Ros was asked to move on and it mostly has to do with the fact that we couldnt lose Paster or Miles. Ros was the most expendable and O'Neill is an amazing hire.
As for Collison, again, Tention completely ignored the kid despite wanting to attend UA just as much as any other recruit. The whole Farmar situation was just bad stupid. It is hard to fault the staff for backin up Shakur after his freshman year, but we really could have used Farmar.
Pastner recruited everyone not on the west coast and it is hard to fault him for bringing in these highly rated guys that never panned out. However, without Pastner there is no Chase, Bayless, Hill, ect...
There is a reason why Ros was asked to move on and it mostly has to do with the fact that we couldnt lose Paster or Miles. Ros was the most expendable and O'Neill is an amazing hire.
As for Collison, again, Tention completely ignored the kid despite wanting to attend UA just as much as any other recruit. The whole Farmar situation was just bad stupid. It is hard to fault the staff for backin up Shakur after his freshman year, but we really could have used Farmar.
Sigh. You UA guys will have another excuse next year. Older coaches in every sport start putting in less time, become less demanding, watch less game video, run practices less well, and some don't realize it.
That's Lute. He thinks he's doing great and the problems are not his doing.
That's Lute. He thinks he's doing great and the problems are not his doing.
Mr. Boldin
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By putting in less time does that mean staying in the gym at the Kingwood Classic untill 2 am and then back the next morning at 8 last weekend? Lute, Miles, and Josh were the only coaches left in the gym when the Indiana Elite game ended. I think we all know Lute took some time off over the past few seasons and tried to let his assistans handle the evaluation of the prospects. Obviously, that did not work out well, and he is fixing it as we speak.
As old as Lute is, and as old as you make him out to be, he is as involved or more involved in the program as 90% of the other D1 coaches in the nation.
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MaoTosiFanClub
The problem
We've ackowledged this as a reality, but unlike you we actually have a clue what's going on with Arizona Basketball and explained that Lute's decreased presence around the program was a result of the passing of his first wife and his developing relationship with his current wife and not age. Even Lute hinted as much in his book and the much-publicized Marvin Williams debacle shed even more light on the problem.
Right now Lute is spending just as much time around the program as he did before Bobbi Olson got cancer which is exactly what Arizona needs. Well, that and a coach that can counter the evolution of the Pac-10 by implementing defensive strategy and x's and o's but that's already taken care of. Feel free to name me one head coaches who only puts him marginal effort that lands a Top 5 recruiting class.
Another fundamental problem (of which there are many) with Skkorp's theory is that the guys who were spurned by Arizona and went to their competitors were vastly superior to their UA counterparts the first time they stepped on the court for their respective schools. That speaks to recruiting more than anything else which Arizona fans have put most of the blame for the last few years.
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Lefty
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Welcome to the Wildcat family Emmanuel Negedu.
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=106&p=9&c=8&toinid=550&cfg=bb&yr=2008
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=106&p=9&c=8&toinid=550&cfg=bb&yr=2008
Mrh182
Jai Guru Deva OM
Lefty
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I agree. He is a big recruit. Let the domino effect start.
OP
OP
While most schools would be happy with a 20 win season and an appearance in the NCAA tournament, the U of A isn't most schools. So there is now officially an on-court job opening, according to the U of A Athletic Department.
But who's position it is has yet to be revealed.
For weeks, it's been rumored that Jim Rosborough would be moved within the department. For 28 seasons, "Ros" has been with Lute Olson, making the trip from Iowa to the desert.
It's been rumored that Rosborough said he was offered a non-coaching job and that he declined, but the athletic department will not give that word officially, telling News 4 that an on-court position will be posted on the school's job website.
That's where Kevin O'Neil comes in. A possible candidate as Rosborough's replacement, O'Neil was with Olson from ‘86-‘89 on the staff along with "Ros."
The 50 year old left to become the head coach at Marquette. From there he also held the same spot at Tennessee and Northwestern. By 2000, O'Neil made the move to the NBA, with assistant stints with the Knicks and Pistons before briefly filling the head coach position for the Raptors. He's now a consultant for the Pacers.
If he is offered the job, he could be here within a week. The U of A Athletic Department said that's how long the job will be posted.
But who's position it is has yet to be revealed.
For weeks, it's been rumored that Jim Rosborough would be moved within the department. For 28 seasons, "Ros" has been with Lute Olson, making the trip from Iowa to the desert.
It's been rumored that Rosborough said he was offered a non-coaching job and that he declined, but the athletic department will not give that word officially, telling News 4 that an on-court position will be posted on the school's job website.
That's where Kevin O'Neil comes in. A possible candidate as Rosborough's replacement, O'Neil was with Olson from ‘86-‘89 on the staff along with "Ros."
The 50 year old left to become the head coach at Marquette. From there he also held the same spot at Tennessee and Northwestern. By 2000, O'Neil made the move to the NBA, with assistant stints with the Knicks and Pistons before briefly filling the head coach position for the Raptors. He's now a consultant for the Pacers.
If he is offered the job, he could be here within a week. The U of A Athletic Department said that's how long the job will be posted.
Mr. Boldin
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O'Neill had the job about 2 weeks ago, they just made it official yesterday at his press conference.
The O'Neill hiring will have an immediate impact on UA, this is huge.
The O'Neill hiring will have an immediate impact on UA, this is huge.
Renz
An Army of One
O'Neill rejoins UA coaching staff
By Bruce Pascoe
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.01.2007
After an 18-year whirlwind of NBA and college coaching jobs, Kevin O’Neill returned to the Arizona basketball coaching staff today.
How long he’ll be around is another story.
O’Neill, who was introduced at a McKale Center news conference, said the idea of succeeding head coach Lute Olson “never came up,” and that his well-traveled career history doesn’t suggest him staying anywhere for too long.
“I don’t have any long-term plans, to be honest with you,” O’Neill said. “I want to coach for another 25 years but that’s the only long term plan I have.… This was a good opportunity that happened at the right time. I’m just trying to take one day at a time and see what it brings.”
O’Neill’s first days at Arizona will involve breaking down more tape of the team he will be working with and re-studying the NCAA rules database in preparation for a test he must take before returning to recruit. Then, in July, he will hit the road along with other UA coaches.
Then, next fall, it will be a matter of applying his defensive knowledge to a team that has sagged defensively in the past four seasons. O’Neill said he expected he would have some input into the defense but did not say he expected to take it over as his own personal project.
“You guys all know Lute well enough that no one has autonomy - except him,” O’Neill said. “But … he didn’t hire me for my looks or my offensive prowess or any of that. I’ve been fortunate to have a good niche over the years in the NBA and college of being a good defensive coach and that would be something I would think he would want to get input from me on.
Defensively, I’m sure I’m going to be involved.”
Olson was unavailable for comment Tuesday because he is attending the Pac-10 meetings in Phoenix, but said before hiring O'Neill that his defensive knowledge would make him a great candidate.
“Kevin is a great coach and an exceptional recruiter,” Olson said in a statement Tuesday. “He understands my coaching style and the expectations of this program. We are thrilled to have him back in Tucson.”
O’Neill’s arrival received immediate accolades. Clark Francis, editor of the Hoop Scoop recruiting service, said that O’Neill is now the No. 1 assistant coach in the country while fellow assistant Josh Pastner is No. 5. ESPN.com's Andy Katz placed the Wildcats No. 13 in his current 2007-08 top 25, noting that “O'Neill should make this a better defensive team.”
Said Pastner, “Getting Kevin O’Neill is like signing a five-star recruit.”
Olson removed longtime assistant Jim Rosborough from his associate head coach position last month in order to create the vacancy, since only three assistants are allowed to coach on the floor under NCAA rules.
Ironically, Rosborough replaced O’Neill when he left to become Marquette’s head coach in 1989 and the two also coached together for a season at Tulsa in 1985-86.
“I have the utmost respect for Jim Rosborough,” O’Neill said, adding that the two have not spoken since the coaching change.
O'Neill, 50, was a college head coach for 11 years: Five at Marquette, three at Tennessee and three at Northwestern. He has also spent five seasons as an NBA assistant coach and the 2003-04 season as the Toronto Raptors' head coach. He worked as a consultant to the Indiana Pacers and in several other part-time roles last season.
He was 152-165 as a college head coach, having taken all three schools to the NIT as well as making two NCAA tournament appearances with
Marquette. O'Neill was twice named the Great Midwest Conference coach of the year at Marquette, and was also named the nation's top recruiter in a 1989 Seattle Post-Intelligencer poll of 294 college coaches.
By Bruce Pascoe
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.01.2007
After an 18-year whirlwind of NBA and college coaching jobs, Kevin O’Neill returned to the Arizona basketball coaching staff today.
How long he’ll be around is another story.
O’Neill, who was introduced at a McKale Center news conference, said the idea of succeeding head coach Lute Olson “never came up,” and that his well-traveled career history doesn’t suggest him staying anywhere for too long.
“I don’t have any long-term plans, to be honest with you,” O’Neill said. “I want to coach for another 25 years but that’s the only long term plan I have.… This was a good opportunity that happened at the right time. I’m just trying to take one day at a time and see what it brings.”
O’Neill’s first days at Arizona will involve breaking down more tape of the team he will be working with and re-studying the NCAA rules database in preparation for a test he must take before returning to recruit. Then, in July, he will hit the road along with other UA coaches.
Then, next fall, it will be a matter of applying his defensive knowledge to a team that has sagged defensively in the past four seasons. O’Neill said he expected he would have some input into the defense but did not say he expected to take it over as his own personal project.
“You guys all know Lute well enough that no one has autonomy - except him,” O’Neill said. “But … he didn’t hire me for my looks or my offensive prowess or any of that. I’ve been fortunate to have a good niche over the years in the NBA and college of being a good defensive coach and that would be something I would think he would want to get input from me on.
Defensively, I’m sure I’m going to be involved.”
Olson was unavailable for comment Tuesday because he is attending the Pac-10 meetings in Phoenix, but said before hiring O'Neill that his defensive knowledge would make him a great candidate.
“Kevin is a great coach and an exceptional recruiter,” Olson said in a statement Tuesday. “He understands my coaching style and the expectations of this program. We are thrilled to have him back in Tucson.”
O’Neill’s arrival received immediate accolades. Clark Francis, editor of the Hoop Scoop recruiting service, said that O’Neill is now the No. 1 assistant coach in the country while fellow assistant Josh Pastner is No. 5. ESPN.com's Andy Katz placed the Wildcats No. 13 in his current 2007-08 top 25, noting that “O'Neill should make this a better defensive team.”
Said Pastner, “Getting Kevin O’Neill is like signing a five-star recruit.”
Olson removed longtime assistant Jim Rosborough from his associate head coach position last month in order to create the vacancy, since only three assistants are allowed to coach on the floor under NCAA rules.
Ironically, Rosborough replaced O’Neill when he left to become Marquette’s head coach in 1989 and the two also coached together for a season at Tulsa in 1985-86.
“I have the utmost respect for Jim Rosborough,” O’Neill said, adding that the two have not spoken since the coaching change.
O'Neill, 50, was a college head coach for 11 years: Five at Marquette, three at Tennessee and three at Northwestern. He has also spent five seasons as an NBA assistant coach and the 2003-04 season as the Toronto Raptors' head coach. He worked as a consultant to the Indiana Pacers and in several other part-time roles last season.
He was 152-165 as a college head coach, having taken all three schools to the NIT as well as making two NCAA tournament appearances with
Marquette. O'Neill was twice named the Great Midwest Conference coach of the year at Marquette, and was also named the nation's top recruiter in a 1989 Seattle Post-Intelligencer poll of 294 college coaches.
OP
OP
Good hire, btw.
Lefty
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Here is Andy Katz's pre-season poll. He has the UofA #13. He mentions Kevin O'Neil will play a factor. The Cats definitely won't be a finese team next year.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2853904
The Wildcats lose Marcus Williams and Ivan Radenovic, but the addition of Jerryd Bayless along with assistant coach Kevin O'Neill should make this a better defensive team. The Wildcats will lean heavily on Chase Budinger and Jawann McClellan. And that's not a bad thing at all.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2853904
The Wildcats lose Marcus Williams and Ivan Radenovic, but the addition of Jerryd Bayless along with assistant coach Kevin O'Neill should make this a better defensive team. The Wildcats will lean heavily on Chase Budinger and Jawann McClellan. And that's not a bad thing at all.
MaoTosiFanClub
The problem
375k a year for an assistant coach is a lot of coin, but when you generate that much money from hoops and Mike Stoops shockingly gets people to fill up the football stadium every Saturday then I guess it's feasible.
O'Neill will be Lute's replacement should Arizona Hoops returns to it's pre-Shakur form. If they don't he's gone and their salaries (roughly a combined 1.75 million) should get us a pretty big name. Like the hire, something had to be done and O'Neill has one of the best resumes of any assistant college coaches hired this summer.
O'Neill will be Lute's replacement should Arizona Hoops returns to it's pre-Shakur form. If they don't he's gone and their salaries (roughly a combined 1.75 million) should get us a pretty big name. Like the hire, something had to be done and O'Neill has one of the best resumes of any assistant college coaches hired this summer.
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So what is the story behind that winning percentage, Mao? Not saying anything since I don't know anything.
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FYI apparently Lute got Brendan Lavender today so UA now has 2 2008 kids signed up.
MaoTosiFanClub
The problem
This will be shocking to nobody except Dan Bickley, but it's pretty much a guarantee that the best player in Phoenix will choose Arizona over all others. I was expecting this for a few weeks now, Lute never lets the local kids that he wants slip away.
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